Endless Mystery
by Dark Seraphim
Summary: Sometimes the best things in life are unexpected. Sometimes. ValonVaron AlisterAmelda. Eventual Yaoi.
1. Little boy irritant

_Author's Notes: Thanks to Nanowrimo(National Write a Novel in a Month), I decided to go ahead and start the Alister/Valon relationship and finally present my theories/timeline through this story. I highly doubt it'll be 50,000 words(Nanowrimo is actually a challenge of getting 50,000 words down in a month. Has to be for a story, but it's still become a mere challenge for me). That being said, I hope you enjoy this. Yaoi will not be happening too quickly and watch out for falling swear words! My interpretations of the characters is sure to raise some eyebrows, but I do my best to keep them as in character as possible. Set pre-Doma. Thank you for looking._

Alister didn't know nor care who the third Swordsman of Doom would be. All he cared about was making certain that the latest member stayed out of his way. He wasn't even at the Pacific island fortress when Master Dartz presented the person to Raphael and was thankful that he didn't have to be. All Alister wanted to do was finish making his new outfit and start another one before doing more research on Kaiba Corp.

For four years, Alister lived with his best friend Raphael in a secluded two story beach house near San Francisco. He was content with that, but he knew that it would last since a third swordsman was necessary for the Doma Organization. He could still hear the Pacific Ocean yelling at him despite being in one of the back rooms of the house. Usually, Alister had some nice, loud anger music on while working diligently over his sewing machine, but not today. No. He knew Raphael would be coming home with the new person shortly and he wanted to hear them arrive. Despite not being interested at all in the intruder, Alister still wanted to know who the new person was. At least so he could make it clear that he wasn't going to be making any friends other than Raphael.

Alister smirked when he remembered that he was naked as the day he was born. He almost always kept the windows open as air conditioning never quite compared to the cool, temperate breezes nature provided. Or, at least it did where he was originally from. Seemed San Francisco offered the same thing, which made Alister very happy. Feeling the air caress his naked skin and red hair made him happy too, but it wasn't every day he sat at the sewing machine with literally nothing on. He began to wonder what newcomer might think seeing someone strange young man naked, and Alister decided not to care. After all, he could never forget that he didn't have to impress anyone and Raphael was used to Alister's quirks. As for Master Dartz, he didn't live with them, so no worries there.

When he heard the rumble of a Camaro, Alister didn't even bother looking up. Instead, he kept his grey eyes on the black belly shirt that he had just completed. He knew Raphael and the new person had already arrived and he didn't need any kind of confirmation. He felt knots in his stomach and found himself unable to hold still enough to even step on the pedal of the sewing machine, much less thread any kind of needle. Though his interest in the newbie remained lacking, he couldn't help but wonder who it might be. He couldn't help that. Still, he immersed himself into looking for any flaws in the shirt, which was why he jumped when he heard Raphael call his name.

Gritting his teeth, Alister spun around in the chair, swinging one naked leg over the other. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that the newcomer was little more than a boy child. Before he could get a closer look, Raphael turned beet red.

"Put some clothes on, Alister!" He growled, obviously used to the redhead's behavior, but still capable of being horrified. The child only smirked.

Amused, Alister stood up and wrapped a large piece of fabric around his slender body before sitting back down. "There. Are you happy now, Raf?"

Raphael blinked about a dozen times before waving the boy forward. "Alister, this is Valon. Valon, this is Alister."

"Alister, is it?" Valon grinned. He looked like someone trying to hold back laughter.

"Yes, Alister." Came the redhead's curt reply. He took the opportunity to finally size up this young upstart.

Valon couldn't have been a day older than thirteen, but he carried himself in his black clothing like an adult. Or rather, a child that had to grow up all too quickly. His tweenie voice had an Australian accent, but Alister sensed more than just Australia in Valon. He couldn't quite say where, but his instincts indicated a Balkan and Iberian flavor in the younger boy. English, too because a Cockney sort of accent laced the tone of Valon's voice. Whatever it was, Alister detected a hard edge that he himself never seemed to attain despite surviving a brutal war which cost him almost everything.. He didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified.

"You certainly have no shame, mate." Valon crossed his arms, still smirking and also sizing up Alister. Raphael chuckled.

"No, I don't." Alister smirked right back. He couldn't help but find the youngest member adorable.

Valon's face was a baby's face, no doubt soft and warm. Not that Alister ever had the intention of touching him. He was not supposed to care that much, and he didn't have the time or the inclination to go anywhere near a thirteen year old. Especially not one who seemed cocky beyond belief. Not to mention as wild as his brown hair that looked like a desert tumbleweed. Somehow indifference just faded away, but that didn't mean that Alister wanted a new friend. On the contrary, he still wasn't interested in that yet he couldn't seem to dismiss the child easily.

Must be the eyes, Alister figured. Blue, like Raphael's but sharp, like Seto Kaiba's. Upon thinking of his enemy's name, Alister's lips tightened into a thin line. He kicked himself for not seeing it sooner. Eyes were the windows of the soul and Alister didn't bother to look in when he should have. He hadn't known Valon for an hour, yet he failed to sense the apparent ruthlessness reflected in those eyes, the very same eyes that still sized Alister up.

_What could Valon be thinking, and why do I care?_

Raphael said nothing, but he looked at the two of them with a sort of understanding. Alister knew he would understand. They were best friends for four years and had no one but each other. Now, Valon appeared practically out of nowhere and neither one of them knew what to make of him. Raphael was iron though, so there was no doubt that the child would not fuck with him. But, Alister couldn't help but wonder if some sort of target was pasted on his own beautiful face. Valon seemed the sort who loved creating targets and he proved it by opening his mouth.

"You look like a girl."

Alister and Raphael both raised their eyebrows. It wasn't the first time Alister had been mistaken for a female, but he never felt as stunned as he did now. From everyone else, the phrase was just an honest, thoughtless statement followed by sheepish grins and an, "Oops, sorry". From Valon, they were fighting words. Alister refused to take the bait.

"You got a problem with that?" He inquired, one eyebrow raised.

"Nah." Valon shrugged. "I just think you're quite fuckable."

_What?_ Alister's jaw would have fallen on the floor if it weren't screwed on. He could feel his muscles tighten. No way a little boy is going to flirt with him. He didn't even allow older people to pull stunts like this. He'd sooner eat a pile of shit before letting a kid get away with it.

"You'll never have me, little boy!" Alister snapped.

Before Valon could say anything, Raphael raised a hand. "That's enough!" Those two words were more than enough to wipe the cockiness off the boy's face at least for a second. "I didn't bring you here to start a fight."

"Is that what you do, Valon?" Alister leaned forward. "Fight? You like starting fights?"

"You've got a problem with that?" Valon shot right back.

Leaning back against the chair, the redhead replied. "Yea, I do, actually. Fighting doesn't solve everything in the world. Don't you know that?"

The Australian boy fell silent, his eyes suddenly downcast as if someone else had echoed that sentiment to him in the past. Alister and Raphael looked at each other, neither one of them believing that the wind could be blown out of the child gasbag so easily. It made Alister wonder about Valon's past, but he decided that he would never ask since he himself barely disclosed anything about his own wartorn past. Raphael barely ever mentioned his. He didn't think Valon would be any different. Still, Alister kept Valon's sudden reaction in mind. Maybe the child wasn't a Seto Kaiba at all, but those eyes reminded him of his worst enemy. He couldn't help feeling that way.

Valon looked back up. "Yes, I know that." Within seconds, those blue eyes gleamed with the mischief of a devil. "It's still fun to be strong though. I want to become stronger. In everything, especially dueling. I'll beat the both of you soon enough."

"I doubt it." Raphael stated, his voice quiet yet carrying the finality of sheer confidence.

Alister, on the other hand, found his heart pounding as he clenched his fists. "How do you walk with balls like that?"

"I don't walk with them". Valon shrugged. "I just bounce around a lot."

"Must be painful." Alister replied with narrowed grey eyes.

Another shrug. "Not really."

Raphael stood between them. "Knock it off, you two!"

With a sigh, Alister ran his hand through his near shoulder length red hair. "He's going to drive me crazy, Raf, I know it."

Looking at a snickering Valon, Raphael said, "Only if you let him get under your skin."

_He's already there._ Alister inwardly groaned. He could just see it now. Valon playing some stupid prank sure to piss him off, they get into a fight and Raphael has to clean up the mess. He couldn't predict the future, but the boy's eyes said it all. Alister found himself smiling. _Goddamnit! _He couldn't help himself. Those blue eyes were full of a curious life that neither he nor Raphael had.

Valon tugged on Raphael's coat sleeve. "I want to see the rest of the house. Can I go to the beach afterward? I want to swim. The ocean looks beautiful."

"It's cold!" Alister suddenly snapped. The cool air gliding on his skin reminded him that the ocean must be freezing. "You can't swim in that!"

"Yes, I can!"

"No, brat! You can't!"

"Mind your own business, ass canister or whatever the bloody hell your name is!"

"What the fuck did you call me?" The fabric flew off his body as quickly as he stood up. Alister didn't even realize it until Raphael's blue eyes widened into planets and Valon almost fell on the floor laughing. But, the redhead didn't give a damn if they saw his dick or not. He only cared that a brat who had been in the beach house for less than an hour called him an 'ass canister.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Valon gasped between laughs. "I meant Alister." He stood straight up, laughter gone as quickly as it came. "I don't have to listen to you!"

"The hell you don't!"

"I said knock it off!" The quiet threat in Raphael's voice shut the both of them right up. "Put some clothes on, Alister." He turned to Valon. "And as for you, you'd better behave yourself. Alister is my best friend and I won't have anyone insulting him. Got that?"

Alister didn't see the look on Valon's face because he was too busy fishing for his dark pants and matching boots, but he knew that the boy 'got it'. When he put on his new belly shirt, the other two were already in another room, but Alister would catch up with them soon enough and he'd actually be smiling since the shirt showed off his midriff perfectly. He bet Valon didn't have abs like his. Then again, no one had abs like his.

In spite of his promises to not give a shit, Alister found himself wondering about that mouthy kid. He himself never acted that way when he was thirteen and he knew for sure that he'd been through more than Valon could ever dream of. He certainly couldn't have been spoiled, Valon seemed too rough for that. Where were the boy's parents? What about his family? Did Valon lose them too? How else would he end up in Doma serving Master Dartz? Why would he? He didn't seem the sort to share the same beliefs Raphael and Alister did. Then again, he still didn't know Valon and didn't doubt he'd end up doing so whether he wanted to or not.


	2. Wrong foot

_Author's Notes: Finally, chapter two is up. Watch out for falling swear words and enjoy!_

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When Alister finally caught up with Valon and Raphael, he wished he could dive right back into his sewing room. All three of them were in the living room, but Valon's attention wasn't on the large television or the door that led to the dining room. No, Alister wasn't that lucky. Instead, the young boy looked right at him and once again sized him up.

"What now?" Alister snapped.

"Erm, what are you wearing?" Valon asked, not even trying to mask his glee of what is to come.

"Clothes!"

"Erm, you look like a rent boy on the prowl!"

Raphael shut his eyes, obviously trying to imagine a happy, peaceful world full of angels who'd give Valon the swift sword of Death. Or, so Alister hoped. He didn't know what his best friend was thinking, but he knew his own thoughts and they were to skin Valon alive and make a trench coat with a funny hat.

Folding his arms, Alister replied, "I look like someone who actually has goods to flaunt."

"You mean you couldn't make a shirt that fits?" Valon asked before failing to control his laughter.

"That's enough!" Raphael almost snarled.

Oh, but Valon didn't stop there. Of course not, that wouldn't be any fun. "But, Raphael, you told him to put some clothes on!"

Before Raphael could say anything, Alister snapped, "This is a BELLY shirt? Get it? A belly shirt!"

"That's for girls!" Valon snapped right back.

"I said enough!"

Both young men fell silent once the eldest Doma member finally managed to get a loud word in, but they still glared at each other before Alister finally looked away. He could sense Valon snickering behind him, but he tried to ignore it as Raphael headed over to the dining room and the kitchen. Once there, Alister announced that they were having lasagna tonight and for some reason, Valon found that absolutely hilarious as he doubled over yet again.

"What's so fucking funny?" Alister demanded, ready to pounce and not in a good way, either.

"You cook?" Valon inquired, his eyes getting that "look" again. The very same look that made both Raphael and Alister tempted to knock his teeth out.

"Yes, he cooks." Raphael glared at Valon and thankfully, it shut the boy up. "You have a problem with that?"

"Well, no." The child shrugged. "I'm just surprised he does." He narrowed his cold blue eyes. "But, why is he announcing dinner? Since when does he give the orders here?"

Raphael looked down at the youth. "Since we first got this house."

Finally, a knife to twist into Valon, and of course Alister took advantage of that. "Outside the house, Raphael leads, but inside, I am King!"

"Don't you mean Queen?" Valon just had to ask, and the redhead finally blew up.

"That's it!" He leapt toward the Aussie upstart, but Raphael held him back. "Please, Raph, let me kill him, please!" Those laughing blue eyes gave him a aneurysm.. They weren't serene and strong, like Raphael's. They were ruthless and Alister wanted to gauge them out and toss them into the ocean. Valon couldn't have been here longer than an hour and already Alister wanted him dead. "A Queen? You little shit!"

That smug little brat didn't stop there. He grinned. "Struck a nerve, didn't I?"

"Stop it," Raphael said, his deep voice enough to soothe the slender savage beast.

Alister took a deep breath and a step back. "Raph..." Still, he glared at Valon. "If he weren't here, I'd be cooking your fucking eyeballs!"

He wished it would scare the boy into submission, but those damned blue eyes said otherwise. Valon merely smirked yet again. "I'd beat you to the ground easily."

"And I would beat you."

When Raphael said that, he didn't speak out of arrogance, he spoke out of fact. Alister knew that and had known it for as long as they've known each other. He also knew that the only reason why he ran the house was because the Golden Boy actually couldn't. As far as Alister was concerned, it was a great arrangement and seeing Valon suddenly lose that mischievous look in his eyes made things even better.

"Anyway, this is the dining room." Alister waved a hand over the sparse room, decorated only with a simple black wooden table and black chairs. He beamed with a certain pride that no doubt irritated Valon and boy, did his heart leap at the thought of irritating him. "We don't have much here because we don't need much here."

"We don't often eat in the dining room, anyway." Raphael added before pointing out the kitchen, which looked like something one would see in a Home and Garden magazine.

Valon didn't look too impressed. "Can't we go somewhere else, now? Maybe we could leave Alister to cook."

"I don't start dinner until sundown, brat." _Damn that little shit..._

Thankfully, Raphael saved the day once again by moving over to another room. What should have taken about thirty minutes to explore the two story beach house ended up taking so long that Alister thought he aged about ten years, and all because Valon just couldn't take a gulp of SHUT THE FUCK UP! He had questions and comments for everything and then they reached the excerize room.

"Wow! You have an excersize room? Great! What's with the butterfly machine though? I guess Alister needs smaller tits."

Alister felt his muscles tense so much, that his skull would have split in half with fiery flames shooting everywhere, but Raphael saved both the day and Valon's life once again.

"Why don't you get Valon's luggage from the car?"

Now, Alister didn't feel so tense. "Fine."

"Wait!" Valon took a step forward holding out his hand as if to say 'STOP!' "You're not going to do anything, are you?"

Narrowing his eyes, Alister replied. "Of course not. You say a lot of stupid things, but I'm not going to do anything to your precious stuff. Christ!" He stalked away before Valon could come up with another smart remark.

Once outside, Alister could feel the ocean breeze through his red hair and he felt much better. He should have felt like ten thousand heels for letting Valon get under his skin, but he didn't. He remembered what Raphael advised him, but like most advice, Alister found that it was easy to say, hard to do.

"Where the hell did Dartz find that boy, anyway?" The luggage turned out to be a single carry-on bag, which didn't surprised Alister, but he certainly felt relieved. Had Valon been one of those kids who just had to lug around a bunch of bags, then there would have been an overdue death. Was he overreacting? Yea, Alister knew he was, but anyone who accused him of having tits needed some overreaction.

On his way back into the house, he encountered Raphael, who looked like he hadn't slept in ten years. _Gee, even Raphael is already sick of that little kid._

"So, what do you think of him?" Raphael folded his arms, his blue eyes narrowing. He looked like was about to brace himself against a barrage of Alister claws. He was right.

"What do I think?" Alister dropped the bag, not knowing or caring what was in there. "How can you ask that? Isn't it rather obvious?"

Raphael smiled. "You got off on the wrong foot with him."

"No, he started that shit." He mocked Valon's accent. " 'You look like a girl '. I loved that! Yes, Raph, I know it's true!" Alister added because he knew Raphael was going to say it. "But, I don't need to be reminded! Then, there's 'I just think you're quite fuckable.' How can any child say that?"

"We don't know where he came from or what happened to him." Raphael looked up towards the stairs which led to where everyone slept. "He won't say. All I know is that he was taken from a Detention center to an island where he had to duel others like him."

Alister raised an eyebrow. "I assume Valon won."

"Yea, he did." Raphael nodded. "But, he won't say anything beyond that."

"So, he's really little different than we are." Alister lowered his head. He looked at the bag of Valon's stuff. "He says he wants to be stronger. We all want that. I wonder what his reason is." _I know what mine is! _ "Does he believe what we believe? He has to." Alister sighed. "I guess I won't know now." He picked up the bag.

"This is just the first day, Alister." Raphael stood aside, allowing Alister to pass him. "Just so you know, neither one of you are innocent. I know that he said some things he shouldn't have, but you're three years older than he is. You could have just let it slide."

Alister scoffed. "Let is slide? That's not in my nature and you know it." He turned back to his best friend. "Besides, I think I got to him too, when I asked him if he thought violence was the answer to everything."

Raphael's blue eyes widened. "Hey, you may be on to something."

"YO! Where's me stuff!"

Valon's voice echoed through the walls like loud music. Alister rolled his eyes.

"I better get going with his stuff."

As Alister headed towards the stairs, Raphael's voice followed him. "Maybe you can actually talk to him. Get to know him. Why not? We all have to work together."

"I know...I know, but he better not talk about my 'tits' again!"

-----

Valon didn't say anything about Alister "tits". Instead the boy sat on the twin bed closest to the door. That actually surprised Alister since he thought that the boy might steal the bed the Raphael slept on: the one nearest the balcony that overlooked the ocean. It was a nice, good sized room with minimal decoration. A large, flat screen television stood in front of the twin beds, but it was off. Before Alister could even sit the bag down, Valon glared up at him.

"I don't like you, go away!"

_Nice_. Alister almost threw Valon's things at him, but he didn't. "I'm just giving you your stuff, that's all." Then, he saw THOSE. Something that both horrified him and shocked him the way that blatant hypocrisy always does. See, according to Alister, Valon had BREASTS. They sure look like breasts as they poked out of his black shirt. Okay, so they weren't women's breasts, but they were still--FLABBY. The bag slipped out of Alister's fingers as he gaped at Valon's chest.

Valon simply frowned. "What? What's wrong with you. Why are you looking at me that way?"

Alister felt tempted to reach out and grab those bitch tits, but he didn't. Instead, he leaned forward and pointed. "Look at this! Look at these FLABBIES!"

"What do you mean flabbies?" The boy gasped, bristling at Alister's words. "I don't have flabbies!"

"Yes, you fucking do!" Alister continued pointing as if the "flabbies" were a triple D cup rather than just typical boy boobies that most grew out of eventually. "You, you little brat! You dare talk about me when you're the one with the fucking flabbies? If there's anyone who needs that butterfly machine, it's you!"

"I don't need that! You're the one with the 'flabbies'!" Valon shot back, which drew a snort from Alister.

"These aren't 'flabbies', brat." Alister pointed at his chest. "These are called pecs. You don't have pecs." He pointed right back at Valon. "You have 'flabbies'.

"That's enough!" Raphael entered the room, followed by a grey cat. "Alister, did you forget what I told you?"

With a slump of his shoulders, Alister shook his head. "No, I haven't forgotten."

"What did you talk about?" Valon asked, eyes widening like a little kid full of wonder. He seemed innocent now, but Alister knew better.

"You, you brat!" He snapped before he could think of anything else to say. Now, he felt like ten thousand heels pounced all over him.

Valon narrowed his eyes. "Me? What about?"

"That it's important to try and get along." Raphael walked over to his bed while the cat jumped right on it. "The two of you have done nothing more than snipe at each other and this is your first day here, Valon. You two want to fight? Save it for at least a few days! But, remember, Valon, Alister is my best friend. If I catch you crossing the line, I'll shut you up myself, got that?"

The boy obviously did because his face fell before nodding. Alister felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He wanted to smile, but didn't.

"Anyway, I'll go ahead and prepare for dinner," he finally said, which made Valon quickly look up.

"You said you didn't make dinner until sundown!"

"Maybe I lied!" Alister stalked out of room, fuming once again.

Once in the kitchen, he just shook his head as he leaned against the sink. "Yea, get to know him." On one hand, he put the blame squarely on Valon's shoulders for making fun of someone's "tits" when his really were "flabbies", but on the other, Alister knew otherwise.

If he ended up never really knowing Valon, then he had no one but himself to blame.


End file.
